The AFCON 2023 kicks off in three months’ time (January 13, 2024). For this tournament, Patrice Motsepe wants all spectators to come to the stadium and leave without a scratch. According to the President, CAF is preparing to the maximum.
During the AFCON 2021 in Cameroon, the Olembé tragedy shook the continent. On January 24, 2022, a stampede took place before the match between the Indomitable Lions and the Comoros. This resulted in the death of 8 people, in addition to several injuries.And for the AFCON 2023, CAF President Patrice Motsepe wants more security.
“When families come to watch a soccer match, they must be absolutely assured that, from the point of view of CAF and our partners, we have done everything possible in line with global best practice to guarantee the safety of facilities and infrastructure. There is zero tolerance,” said Patrice Motsepe, as relayed by BBC Sport Africa. Ahead of AFCON 2023, the CAF boss also spoke of the Olembé tragedy. “Certain mistakes were made, and some of them could have been avoided. We are very clear on the fact that the quality of infrastructure to host Africa’s biggest competition must be world-class. What we’ll be doing over the next few months is making sure that the infrastructure as a whole is excellent,” says Patrice Motsepe.
The media must help
In order to guarantee the safety of spectators at the various AFCON 2023 stadiums, Patrice Motsepe would like to enlist the help of the media. The media are the guarantors of information. They must therefore popularize any shortcomings.“Part of the media’s role is to criticize us, to identify where there are gaps and weaknesses. That’s why it’s very, very important that we work with the media so that they can help us identify some of the areas that you (the media) feel need urgent attention. We have a team of people who have been here for six months working with the government on a daily basis.”
